Cooking School: Blue Hill at Stone Barns Restaurant

Farmer, chef, and diner come together at this restaurant

Slide 1 Of Cooking School: Blue Hill atStone Barns Restaurant

Matthew Benson

Blue Hill at Stone Barns impresses with its quiet elegance. The restaurant’s sparkling, serene spirit and the lush farmland just outside its windows emphasize the thoughtful, compassionate approach to the food served and the relationship between farmer, chef, and diner.

Located in the former dairy barn of the Rockefeller summer compound in Pocantico Hills, New York, the restaurant is adjacent to the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, a working four-season farm and educational center 30 miles north of New York City. Chef Dan Barber and his brother David, owners of the Blue Hill restaurant in Manhattan, helped create the philosophical and practical framework for Stone Barns Center in 2001. In spring of 2004, they opened a second restaurant at Stone Barns, with the goal of blurring the line between the dining experience and the educational, bringing the principles of good farming directly to the table.

“The farmers grow produce and raise animals based on what the land will support,” says Dan Barber, a three-time James Beard award winner and one of Time magazine’s most influential people in 2009. “They do it with as little outside help as possible, maintaining economical and ecologically sustainable standards. Our restaurant supports that endeavor, translating that deliciousness to the table.”

“The farmers grow produce and raise animals based on what the land will support,” says Dan Barber, a three-time James Beard award winner and one of Time magazine’s most influential people in 2009. “They do it with as little outside help as possible, maintaining economical and ecologically sustainable standards. Our restaurant supports that endeavor, translating that deliciousness to the table.”

There are no menus at Blue Hill. Rather, guests receive a small journal that lists seasonal ingredients from field, pasture, greenhouse, and cellar around which a farmer’s feast (a multi-course tasting menu) is designed according to personal taste.

Design director Laureen Barber (David’s wife) brings the same connectivity to the restaurant and tabletop design. She has commissioned local artists to create serving pieces inspired by the food, beautifully linking design and dining experience.

“That carrot tastes delicious because it comes from a good environment, good soil,” Barber says. “Restaurants can be places of connection as well as places of pleasure. It’s nice to be part of a movement that’s celebratory, where there’s a culture that promotes growth in nature. That’s why I feel optimistic.”

Farro is an ancient grain also known as “emmer wheat.” It has a chewy texture and nutty flavor. Farro grown in Tuscany’s Garfangnana region has been granted protected identification status. Combine farro with Tuscan kale, and you’ll have a salad with proud Italian origins.

“Whole wheats like farro have a fullness of flavor, with a kind of toasty note,” Chef Dan Barber says. “And kale is a healthful green packed with flavor.” He adds pine nuts, currants, and shallots with white balsamic dressing to the Farro and Kale Salad.

This velvety soup gets an exotic hint of spice from star anise, but what really impresses is the rich corn essence that comes from using corncobs to make the stock. It’s a resourceful use of something that would normally be tossed away.

Barber transformed a favorite childhood dish, chicken cutlets, into this ingenious appetizer, served with apricot puree and a fresh herb salad. For best taste, you’ll want carrots straight from the farmer’s market or organic grocer.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel carrots. Stack three (24x12-inch) sheets aluminum foil on work surface. Place carrots in single layer in center of foil. Drizzle carrots with olive oil; sprinkle with sugar, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Fold in long ends of foil and seal with double fold. Fold over short ends to enclose, leaving enough room to let steam build. Place foil packet on baking sheet.

Bake 1 hour or until carrots are very soft, turning packet over halfway through cooking time.

When cool enough to handle, unwrap carrots. Line 15x10x1-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lay carrots on pan, leaving space between each carrot. Top with second piece of parchment paper and another 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Weight top pan down. (Try using several cans of food.) Let stand 10 minutes. If carrots are cooked properly they will not break but will be pressed into little cutlets.

Breading: Place all-purpose flour in shallow dish. In second shallow dish beat together egg and water until combined. In third shallow dish combine panko, whole wheat bread crumbs, rice flour, and cumin. Dip one carrot into the all-purpose flour, shaking off any excess flour. Dip carrot in egg mixture. Finally, dredge carrot in breadcrumb mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining carrots.

In large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. When hot, carefully place carrot cutlets in oil; cook 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer to plate lined with paper towels to drain. Season well with sea salt and pepper.